Wrench.



No. 879,980. PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908.

' W. B. ORR.

' 4 WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19 1907.

Ll l

I By A TTU/CNE V5 /NVE/VTOR WILLIAM B. ORR, OF SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

Application filed June 19. 1907- Serial No. 379,760.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM B. ORR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salisbury, in the county of Rowan and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful rench, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wrenches and has for its object to provide a comparatively simple and inexpensive device of this char acter in which the adjustment of the movable gripping jaw is effected without the employment of threaded shanks, adjusting nuts and similar auxiliary operating devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide a quick acting wrench having spaced rollers interposed between the movable jaw and shank and adapted to engage and clutch the latter for locking the movable aw in adjusted position.

A further object is to provide an operating lever having inwardly extending lugs provided with cam slots for the reception of the adjacent ends of the rollers, there being an inclined face formed on the movable jaw whereby when the lever is moved in one direction the rollers will effect the locking of the movable jaw and when said lever is moved in the opposite direction the rollers will be released from engagement with the shank to permit the adjustment of said jaw.

A still further object of the invention is to generally improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and efhciency as well as to reduce the cost of manufacture.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the following description, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wrench constructed in accordance with my invention showing the movable jaw in locked position. Fig. 2 is a similar view partly in section showing the movable jaw in released position. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the operating lever detached.

Similar numerals of reference indicate cor responding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The improved wrench forming the subject matter of the present invention includes a shank 5 having one end thereof formed with a relatively stationary gripping jaw 6 and its opposite end provided with an operating handle 7 of any approved construction.

Slidably mounted on the shank 5 is a movable aw 8 having alined openings 9 formed therein for the reception of the shank and provided. with a gripping jaw 10 adapted to co-act with the corresponding gripping jaw 11 of the stationary member or head 6. The movable jaw 8 is pierced by a vertically disposed slot 12 one wall of which is formed with a V shaped recess 13 defining oppositely disposed cam faces 14, while the opposite wall thereof is formed with spaced perforated lugs 15 adapted to receive the pivot pin 16 of an operating lever 17.

Seated in the slot or recess 12 and interposed between the cam faces 14 and the adjacent face of the shank 5 are one or more gripping devices preferably in the form of cylindrical rollers 17 adapted to engage and clutch the shank for locking the movable jaw in adjusted position.

The operating lever is provided with spaced arms terminating in circular heads or disks 18 which engage the opposite sides of the movable jaw 8 and are seated in correspondingly shaped recesses 19 so that the disks will lie flush with the exterior face of the movable jaw, as shown.

Extending inwardly from the inner faces of the circular disks or heads of the operating lever are spaced inclined lugs 20 having elongated slots 21 formed there n for the reception of the adjacent ends of the actuating devices or rollers 17 whereby when the operating lever 17 is moved in one direction the rollers will be forced in engagement with the shank 5 and thus lock the jaw in adjusted position, and when the lever is moved in the opposite direction the rollers will be drawn together towards the center of the V shaped recess 13 and thus release the rollers from engagement with the shank so as to permit further adjustment of the movable aw. The arms of the operating lever 17 are connected by an integral cross bar 22 which extends slightly below the adjacent edge of the movable jaw and constitutes a finger piece whereby the operating lever may be readily moved to operative and inoperative position.

The operating lever 17 is normally and yieldably supported in operative position by lOO means of a leaf spring 23 one end of which is riveted, soldered or otherwise secured to the movable jaw 8, while the opposite end thereof is seated in a depression or recess 25 with its terminal portion bearing against the inner face of the finger piece or bar 22. I It will thus be seen that under normal conditions the spring 23 by engagement with. the operating lever will hold the gripping devices or rollers 22 in engagement with the shank and adjacent cam face 14. When it is desired to adjust the movable jaw to accommodate nuts or pipes of different sizes the free end of the operating lever 17 is forced inwardly against the tension of the spring 23 by exerting a lateral pressure on the finger piece 22 which causes the cam faces 26 on the lugs 20 to move the gripping rollers 17 towards the center of the slot 12 so that said rollers are released from engagement with the shank and the movable jaw free to be adjusted longitudinally of the shank into engagement with the nut or other object to be clamped. As soon as the pressure is released from the linger piece 22 the spring will automatically return the operating lever to normal position and in doing so will cause the lugs 20 to se arate the rollers 17 and thus automaticalfj effect the locking of the movable jaw.

The forward edges of the arms of the operating lever are preferably disposed in transverse alinement with the front of the movable jaw while the sides of the movable jaw are formed with depressions 27 to permit free lateral movement of the arms of the lever 17 when the latter is moved to operative and inoperative position.

The wrenches may be made in different sizes and shapes and may be nickeled, japanned or otherwise coated to give the same a neat attractive appearance.

From the foregoing descri tion it will be seen that there is provider an extremely simple, inexpensive and efficient device admirably adapted for the attainment of the ends in view.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. A wrench including a shank, a stationary jaw, a movable jaw slidably mounted on the shank, rollers interposed between the movable jaw and shanks, and an operating lever provided with cam slots adapted to receive the adjacent ends of the rollers for actuating the latter thereby to lock the movable jaw in adjustedposition.

2. A wrench including a shank provided with a stationary jaw, a movable jaw slidably mounted on the shank, gripping devices interposed between the movable aw and shank, an operating lever having spaced arms engaging the opposite sides of one of the jaws, and cam slots formed in the arms and adapted to engage the gripping devices for actuating the latter, thereby to clamp the movable jaw in adjusted position.

3. A wrench including a shank having a stationary jaw, a movable jaw slidably mounted on the stationary jaw and provided with a cam face, rollers interposed between the cam face and the shank of the wrench, and an operating lever having slots formed therein adapted to receive the rollers for actuating the latter thereby to lock the movable jaw in adjusted position.

4. A wrench including a shank having a stationary aw, a movable jaw slidably mounted on the shank and provided with an elongated slot having a cam face, rollers seated in the'slots and bearing against the cam face and shank, respectively, and an operating lever pivotally mounted on the movable jaw and provided with cam slots adapted to receive the ends of the rollers for actuating the latter thereby to lock the movable jaw in adjusted position.

5. A wrench including a shank having a stationary jaw, a movable jaw slidably mounted on the shank and provided with an elongated slot one wall of which is provided with a V shaped recess, gripping devices seated in the slot, and an operating lever bearing against the opposite sides of one of the jaws-and provided with inwardly extending lugs having inclined slots formed therein for the reception of the gripping devices thereby to lock the movable jaw in adjusted position when the operating lever is actuated.

6. A wrench including a shank having a stationary aw, a movable jaw slidably mounted on the stationary jaw and provided with an opposite depression, an elongated slot piercing the movable jaw at said depressions and having one wall thereof formed with a V shaped recess, rollers seated in the slot and bearing against the shank and walls of the \g' shaped recess, respectivly, an operating lever pivotally mounted for lateral movement on the movable jaw and provided with circular heads seated in the depressions in said jaw, lugs extending inwardly from the heads and provided with inclined slots for the reception of the adjacent ends of the rollers, said. operating lever being provided with a terminal finger piece, and a spring secured to the movable jaw and bearing against the finger piece for normally and yieldably holding the lever in operative position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM B. ORR.

Witnesses:

J. Ross CoLHoUN, C. E. DOYLE. 

